State test results show LBUSD ninth-graders getting fitter

Pancakes and waffles are not everyday breakfast foods for Poly High freshman Deanry Sath.

Instead, the 14-year-old eats a salad and drinks a cup of milk in the morning and squeezes in some time for exercise.

“I free run in the morning,” Sath said, adding that he also finds time for martial arts.

Kids like Sath may be why Long Beach high schools are seeing more students pass state-mandated fitness tests.

Data released Wednesday by the California Department of Education show that 62 percent of Long Beach Unified freshmen passed the fitness tests in the 2012-2013 school year, up from 57 percent the previous year.

One school that stands out in the fitness data is the magnet high school California Academy of Mathematics and Science, which is located on the campus of Cal State Dominguez Hills.

Of the 168 CAMS ninth-graders tested for fitness, about 89 percent passed the test.

To earn a score that falls within the so-called Healthy Fitness Zone, students needed to pass five of six testing categories that include aerobic capacity, abdominal strength, upper body strength, body composition, flexibility and back flexibility, according to the California Department of Education. Students in grades five, seven and nine are tested.

At CAMS, more than half, or 91 of the students tested, passed in all six categories.

“That's crazy,” said Lisa Ulmer, LBUSD's physical education curriculum leader. She said there is a correlation between fitness and academic success, highlighting CAMS top test scores. “If that doesn't prove that our kids need to be moving more each day, I don't know what does.”

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson echoed Ulmer's sentiment.

“The simple fact is that healthy kids learn better,” Torlakson said in a statement after the data was released. “I'm pleased to see the slow shift toward better health continue, but when only about a third of our students (statewide) are physically fit, we are nowhere near the end of this effort. To help them succeed in school and in life, California's young people need more access to physical activity, fresh, healthy food and clean water.”

Poly High also saw a large portion of its freshman population pass the fitness test, with 70.9 percent of ninth-graders passing either five or six fitness tests.

Fifth- and ninth-grade students in LBUSD performed better than their counterparts at the county and state levels, with 49.6 percent of fifth-graders and 62 percent of ninth-graders passing the test. Seventh-graders passed the test at about 54 percent, exceeding the county level, but lower than the overall state percentage for kids in the same grade.

Fit test results for fifth-graders dropped by 2.1 percent from the previous year, and seventh-graders gained 0.4 percent from the last academic year.

In ABC Unified, 49.3 percent of students in fifth grade fell within the fitness zone, and 63.2 percent of seventh-graders and 67.3 percent of high school freshmen were in the fit zone, CDE data show. In the 2011-2012 school year, ABC had similar results, with 51 percent of fifth-graders, 63.1 percent of seventh-graders and 67.1 percent of ninth-graders pass the fitness tests.

Ulmer attributed the overall improvement in LBUSD to different tests being allowed in some categories. Instead of just running the mile to test aerobic health, students can run 20-meter sprints or walk a mile and have their heart rate and body weight recorded.

A student's target time on some of the tests is determined by the body mass index, Ulmer said. For those with high BMI, their time to complete a mile is faster “to show they can overcome the excess weight,” Ulmer said.

Teachers are also helping students enjoy exercise despite the fact that they are using the same equipment from previous years, she said.

“We are educators. We're not personal fitness trainers,” Ulmer said. “I think we're doing a better job of teaching our kids how to be fit … and how to enjoy moving. If they're enjoying what they're doing, they'll do it more.”